Aerial bomb



E. C. WILLIAMS.'

AERIAL BOMB. APPLICATION HLED Nov. 1. 1919.

1,359,69, A Patented N0v.16,1920.

l 2 SHEETS-SHEET i.

E. C. WILLIAMS.

AERIAL BOMB.

APPLICATION man Nov. 1, 1919.

Pateted Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

unirse stares rarest' serres..

EDDIE C. WILLIAMS, 0F BANKS, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOSEPH THOMAS REYNOLDS, OE BANKS, ALABAMA.

AERIAL BOMB.

specication of Letters Patent. PatentdNoV. 1 6, 1920.

Application filed November 1, 1919. Serial No. 334,987.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDDIE C. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Banks, in the county of Pike and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Bombs, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to improvements in aerial bombs, and more iparticularly to the firing means therefor.

An important object of this invention is to provide a bomb having novel means whereby the same is caused to explode upon striking the ground or a building.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aerial bomb provided with a novel form of safety pin to prevent the device from accidently ring while being handled.

A further object -of'this invention is to provide an aerial bomb which is of highly simplified construction, simple to assemble and cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will-be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a perspective of the improved bomb;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the firing pin;

Fig. 4 is a central vertical section through the bomb;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section through the bomb set for use;

Fig. 6 is adetail perspective of a supporting device for the powder case or shell.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates a casing of the bomb having its upper end provided with a closure 11. lThe closure 1 1 is provided with a depending interiorly screw threaded annular flange 12 having threaded engagement with the exterior ,of the casing 10. The closure 11 is provided with a pivot pin 12 which rotatably supports a fan 13 adapted to maintain the vertical position of the bomb during its de= quantity of shrapnel 15.

scent. As is obvious from Fig. 1, the guiding propeller or fan is rotated during the descent to they ground and thereby maintains the equilibrium of the bomb. f

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the bottom portion of the case 10 is provided with an annular disk 14 adapted for supporting a The powder shell 16 is arranged centrally within the casing and is entirely surrounded by the shrapnel, whereby when the powder 17 within the shell 16 explodes the shrapnel will be blown in all directions. In positioning the shell 16, the cap 19 of the same is snugly arranged within a central opening 18 in the disk 14 and the Vcap .19 is thereby firmly held in position so as to aline the percussion cap 2O of the same with a firing pin 21. As is usual in bombs, the percussion cap 20 is provided with a detonator 22 having connection with a fuse 23 which is adapted to set off the powder 17.

YAs illustrated in, detail in Fig. 6, the cap- 19 is held within the opening 18 l by a lever 24 pivoted in one side wall of the opening as indicated at 25. Before the cap 19 has been positioned the lever is lowered and its forward portion is secured within a slot 26 in the opposite side wall.

, A concave-convex ring pin support 27 vhas threaded engagement with a depending annular flange 28 formed on the lower end of the casing 10. The concavo-convex firing pin support is provided with a centrally ar-A from the percussion cap. As illustrated in y Fig. 4, the disk 31 has threaded engagement with the inner side of the concavo-convex i firing pin support as indicated at 34 and is adapted to be adjusted for properly tension- Y ing the coil spring 32.A If it is desired to put considerable tension on the firing pin 21, the disk 31 is arranged in the lower portion of the firing pin support 27. A sleeve 35 is carried by the diskrl and surrounds the Ythe casing 10 and is adapted for affording a comparatively large contact surface upon engagement with the ground. In providing a relatively large contact member the firing of the device upon striking the ground is assured, also the bomb is prevented from entering the ground before irin As illustrated in detail in ig. 3, the liring pin is provided with a transverse slot 37 adapted to receive a safety lever or pin 38. As is obvious, the safety device 38 is adapted to prevent the accidental movement of the pin 21 as the result of the accidental Vstriking of the firing head 37 while the' device is being handled. The lever 38 terminates short of the outer edge of the firing head 37 and is adapted to be manually removed prior to dropping the bomb. When the member 38 vis removed the firing pin 21 Vis free to be moved inwardly for engaging Vthe percussion cap 20 whereby the bomb may be exploded.

In assembling the device, the .shrapnel and the shell are arranged within the casing and the lever 211 is positioned to secure the shell cap 19 in position and prevent the same from dropping onto the firing pin and accidentally setting off the bomb.' The firing pin and the spring therefor is positioned prior to appl ing the support 27 of the bomb, When t e spring 32 has been properly tensioned by the disk 31, the support 27 is screwed into the annular flange 28 and the device is then ready for use.

When it is desired to drop the bomb from an airplane or other elevated point, the

Asafety device 38 is removed in order Ythat the pin 21 may engage the percussion cap 20 when the bomb strikes the ground or a Y building.

Itis to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same and that such minor changes in arrangement and the construction of parts maybe made as will remain within the spirit ofthe invention and the scope of what is claimed. A l

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A bomb including a casing having a depending screw threaded flange, a 'firing pin support threaded'onto saidfiange and having a centrally arranged opening, a tensioning device arranged within said firing pinsupport and having a centrally arranged opening, a firing pin extending through the openings in said firing pin support and said tensioning device, a coil spring arranged between said tensioning device and the lower end of said firing pin support, and an enlarged'contact head on said firing pin.

2. A bomb including a casing having a bottom wall provided with an opening, a. powder shell having fa cap arranged within said opening, a pivoted levertraversing said opening and supporting the saidcap, the forward portion of said lever being enga with the side wall of said opening, an a firing pin arranged in spaced relation to said cap.

3. A bomb including a casing .having a bottom wall provided with an opening, .a powder shell having'a cap arranged within said opening, a lever pivoted to one side wall of the opening and having its free end portion engaged with the opposite sidewall of' the-opening, said lever being adapted for supporting said cap, a firing pin for said cap, means to support said firing pin, and a spring for normally spacing said ufiring pin from said cap.

4. A bomb including a casing having an attaching flange, a concavo-convex firing pin support detachably connected to said i flange and having an opening, aring pin extending through said opening, a combined firing pin guideand tensioning device adjustable within said firing pin support, a spring confined between saidtensioning ldevice and the rear end portion of said firing pin, and a safety device. associated with said firing pin, said firing pin being provided with a Contact head. v

5. A bomb including a casing, a concavoconvex firing pin support detachably connected to said casing, a detonator arranged within said casing, a firingpin carried by said concavo-convex firing pin support, vand .means to normally retain said firing pin in ving pin support, a spring confined between said tensioning disk and the' rear end portion of said firing pin, the inner side ofsaid firing pin support being provided with an annular shoulder surrounding said firing pin, and a sleeve carried by said tensioning disk and surrounding said spring and said annular shoulder.

7. A bomb including a casing7 a detonator carried by the casing, a firing pin support detachably connected to said casing and provided with an opening, a firing pin 5 extended through said opening, the outer end portion of said firing pin being provided With a transverse slot, a safety device arranged Within said slot, and an enlarged head formed on the outer end of said rin pin and extending beyond said safety de- 10 vice, for protecting the same.

In testimony whereof I aiiixmy signature.

EDDIE C. WILLIAMS. [L.s.] 

